Slovenia: Zirovnica

Zirovnica, Slovenia: the town church
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I ended up on an early afternoon train from Salzburg, en route to Lesce-Bled, Slovenia.  The train ride was again picturesque, until I got to the Slovenian border. First, the customs guy refused to stamp my passport, after I asked politely.  I love getting the passport stamps, but he gave me a loud "Nay."

Since Slovenia is now part of the European Union, they're not required to stamp American passports.  Well, the first town, Jesenice, in Slovenia was a bleak, communistic city, full of soviet apartment blocks and concrete ridden train stations.  However, after Jesenice, the countryside turned stunning, with fantastic views of the Julian Alps, where the Alps actually end.  A grand finale indeed.

Small Town in the Julian Alps....Peace at Last

Zirovnica, Slovenia: view of the julian alps from the hostel patio
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I arrived at the Lesce-Bled train station, near the touristic town of Bled (famous for its lake containing the only island in Slovenia).  I was staying in Zirovnica, approximately 10K from Bled.  The train station, however, was absolutely deserted.  It was around 05:30 p.m., and it looked like a ghost town.

I thought the hostel was going to pick me up, but there was no one around.  There was a public phone, but I had no Slovenian money and nowhere to change it.  Finally I found a small bar that was open, with a young female bartender who spoke no English.

Zirovnica, Slovenia: sunset
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She let me use the bar phone, I think.  Not sure what she was saying, so I just picked up and started dialing numbers.  Of course it took me about 20 tries to figure out how to call the hoste), but I arranged for pickup to the Jakelj Backpackers House in Zirovnica.

The hostel was in a town of 4,071 people, ideally located before a large mountain in the Julian Alps.  It is run by a family - Damien the 70+(?) year old father, Mamma, and Niko the son; they also have a young female employee.

Zirovnica, Slovenia: jakelj backpackers house
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The mother makes amazing meals every night; I had awesome Goulash, fresh salads, and terrific desserts.  I had a huge room to myself, as there were probably about ten people staying in the place.  Since it was so far outside Lake Bled and the city, everyone has to rely on papa Damien to bring them into town.

Since they only drop you off in the morning, and then pick you up at night, I was stuck at the hostel the first night, which was actually pretty sweet.  I explored the little town, found a house where there were lots of dead animals being hung by their legs, and watched a beautiful sunset from the back patio of the hostel.

Zirovnica, Slovenia: the town road
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When everyone returned from Bled, we all sat around and watched the World Cup, had a few Union beers (my favorite beer so far), and went to bed relatively early.  Papa Damien told me he was bringing me to Bled around 09:00 a.m., so I didn't have much of a choice.